


10,000 Meters Under

by Puppetmaster13



Series: Subnautica Aus [1]
Category: Subnautica (Video Game)
Genre: Animal Instincts, Animal Traits, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Crash Landing, F/F, F/M, Gay, Half-Human, Human Experimentation, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I really just gave names to some nameless characters, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Language Barrier, Let Ryley curse, Let Ryley say Fuck, M/M, Medical Examination, Metamorphosis, Mute Ryley Robinson, Muteness, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Sign Language, Survivor Guilt, cursing, half-fish, half-human character, mermaid, ryley needs a hug, sea emperor is m a g i c
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puppetmaster13/pseuds/Puppetmaster13
Summary: If Ryley could speak- or physically make any verbal noise really- he’d have long since lost his voice cursing up a storm. The moment he thought that things were looking up, that he could actually find a way home, this happened. The dark-haired brunette silently snarled up at the centaur-like mechanical being in front of him, newly-grown tail lashing in a mixture of aggression and apprehension. This was one of the beings that had easily caged a leviathan class being afterall, and Ryley was small, even for a human. Small, and far more fragile than the Emperor had been. ‘Go away! Leave me be!’ Not for the first time, Ryley wished he could speak, that his vocal cords weren't a shredded mess.(Original Summary)It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. He wanted to move away, but his mind ached for physical contact. He should move away- should swim to the other side of the cavern at the least- but he was frozen staring at those curious blue eyes.(Grammar Nazis Welcome!)
Relationships: Avery Quinn & Ryley Robinson, Avery Quinn & Sunbeam Crew, Avery Quinn/Ryley Robinson, Ryley Robinson & Everyone, Ryley Robinson & Sunbeam Crew, Sea Emperor Leviathan & Ryley Robinson
Series: Subnautica Aus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664266
Comments: 49
Kudos: 102





	1. 01

If Ryley could speak- or physically make any verbal noise really- he’d have long since lost his voice cursing up a storm. The moment he thought that things were looking up, that he could actually find a way home, _this_ happened. The dark-haired brunette silently snarled up at the centaur-like mechanical being in front of him, newly-grown tail lashing in a mixture of aggression and apprehension. This was one of the beings that had easily caged a _leviathan class being_ after all, and Ryley was small, even for a human. Small, and far more fragile than the Emperor had been. _‘Go away! Leave me be!’_ Not for the first time, Ryley wished he could speak, that his vocal cords weren't a shredded mess. 

The Precursor ignored his obvious aggression, either uncaring or dismissing him being a threat. Which to be fair, the most he could _maybe_ do would be scratch at the metallic plating. He had already tried to run past and perhaps make it to open water where he could outmaneuver the biomechanical being, but that had failed on both tries. He _knew_ he could outmaneuver them, as the chase _had_ started near the reef. He'd have probably been able to escape if not for the six robotic constructs floating by its torso. Really if those extra limbs would suddenly stop working and allow him to escape, that would be great. 

He was backed into a corner, his new extremities useless outside of water, and facing a highly dangerous threat. Ryley glared at the practically motionless alien, claws (another quite new addition) clawing at the sandy ground in frustration. The sun was setting, and Ryley had been there all day- not including the chase beforehand. He was exhausted, hungry, without any clothing (which was lost during the metamorphosis and ensuing chase) or shelter, and definitely not in the mood to deal with this entire situation. _‘Go away! Don’t you have anything better to do?!’_ he inwardly shouted at them, baring his teeth in a frustrated grimace. _‘Why are you watching me? Why won’t you let me leave?’_

They didn’t move. 

Getting up, he slowly slunk towards them. Another change during his transformation from the Emperor. His legs were bent more like an animal, with an extra length of bone and joint, allowing him to easily thrust himself off an ocean floor, but forced him to practically crawl on the land. Ryley’s garnet eyes glanced every which way. Perhaps he could slowly make his way towards that rock and leap off of it? But he didn’t know what was on the other side. For all he knew he’d be jumping off a cliff and snap his neck. His eyes flashed to the still motionless precursor. Better than being some sort of science experiment, right? He was even closer now, able to make out the smooth plates on their metallic hide. Still no movement. Maybe they were also exhausted from the pursuit.

He was sure he was going to make it- had nearly leapt- when he was suddenly yanked back by some sort of gravitational force. _‘No! Dammit! Fuck you and your fucking advanced tech!’_ He inwardly shrieked as he wriggled in the gravitational field. It was actually quite similar to the propulsion cannon he had used before. Despite not doing any harm, Ryley still felt a ping of satisfaction when his tail slapped the glowing screen-like face. His wriggling had made him start floating upside down though, which wasn’t satisfying. _‘Go to hell.’_ The luminescent markings on his body flashed brighter in his irritation. 

At least the extraterrestrial was moving, albeit _away_ from the water’s edge and towards the inland of the island. _‘Fuck you and any family you might have!’_ Ryley was now being carried by the centaur’s actual arms, and for once was semi-thankful he was the only survivor, lest someone see him like this. That actually made him wonder if he would still count as a survivor. Would they still count him as human? Not to say he wasn’t thankful for the Sea Emperor turning him into this, as he would be dead otherwise. Be it by infection or drowning. He let out a wheezing huff. The precursor's arms felt like an odd metallic chitin, as though it was a blend of organic shell and titanium. Ryley was brought out of his thoughts by the Architect stopping, and he blinked. They were at the base of the Quarantine Gun-Thing that he had deactivated. Keyword being had. It was back to being activated. 

_Were they going to kill him?!_

Oh nuh-uh! He began struggling, causing the grip to tighten. He didn’t survive the crash, didn’t survive the leviathans, didn’t survive the virus, just to be fried like a chicken. Ryley actually managed to get himself free and take a few steps before the gravitational force was activated. He twisted around, his lights once again flashing brightly in irritation and fear, and practically froze. There were two precursors, one exiting from some sort of entrance to the weapon, which, that door had not been there before! The new architect, who was a foot or so taller than the other, spoke in some sort of garbled metallic shrieks, which caused Ryley to instinctively cover his ears and attempt to curl up. That was... loud and unpleasant. Metallic limbs curved around his middle, though the brunette barely noticed through the pounding of his skull. Idly he registered the feeling of going down, similar to an elevator, just extremely fast, and the humm of the precursor’s technology. 

It wasn’t until he was able to hear the sound of water lapping against something through the ringing did he uncurl. _‘Wha- oh fuck no!’_ They were walking towards what seemed to be a large containment chamber similar to that that the sea emperor had been held in. _‘Nonono! Let me go you overgrown pile of parts!’_ His tail slapped against the limbs holding him, but that did nothing but cause their hold to tighten. He had almost been free to leave! He had almost made it off of the godforsaken deathtrap of a planet! 

At least they didn’t just toss him into the water, right? As soon as he was submerged and the grip loosened, Ryley darted away. He may be slightly off with his new limbs, but he’d been swimming in this ocean’s water for roughly a year now. The brunette ducked into the closest bit of tube coral large enough for him to fit and not get stuck, crouching in the dim shadows like they would hide him. They didn’t, but the thought was nice. Both precursors had moved to a lower area where one could see through the entire wall, seemingly observing his reaction to his containment. He wouldn’t be moving from this spot until they left! Unless he got hungry… or needed fresh water… 

Ryley was proud to admit he made it long enough for one of them to warp away, but his stomach growling forced him to finally move from his admittedly shoddy hiding spot. He tried to keep the centauric being in his sight during the entire endeavor, but was soon distracted by the painful sound of a warper. Instantly he was darting into the creepvines, panic fueling his motions. _‘Where?!’_ he couldn’t see the biomechanical being, but that didn’t comfort him in the slightest. And even if they only targeted those with the kharaa, the brunette had honed himself to run as fast as he could as soon as he was aware of their presence. It had saved his life many times before and who knows when it might do so again. After a few moments of nothing however, he slowly inched his way out once more, this time much more cautious of the rest of his surroundings. He couldn't see, or smell, any fish though, which was also quite worrying. What would he eat?

The unseen warper screeched again, closer this time, and Ryley shifted deeper into the kelp. A mistake apparently. Another loud shriek and a familiar shifting feeling, as though getting pulled every direction, and the brunette was suddenly at the sloping entrance. He instantly attempted to get back to the deeper, not so open, water, but _once again_ , was caught by that _damned gravitational device_ . Apparently the second architect had been up there observing from above. _'Fuck off!'_ Despite having no effect, Ryley bit at the hand reaching towards him. Said hand continued uninterrupted though, towards his prone body with some sort of needle. _'Get that away from me-'_ The (mostly) human silently hissed as the metal slid into his tail, flecks of his blood being taken. Where they taking samples? Why-?

Oh. _Oh._ He was also creating the enzyme, wasn't he? That was why he had been cured of the virus mere moments before the emperors hatched...

Inwardly shrieking, the brunette almost didn't notice the scalpel-like blade until it was touching his shoulder. _'No! Stop it! Leave me alone!'_ His struggles didn't help. The blade still cut into his arm with medical precision, taking a small piece of his flesh. Ryley let out silent sobs, tears pricking at the edge of his eyes. The fins around his ears drooped and his markings once again flashed. _'Why is this happening to me?'_ Though it made sense in a way. It would be easier to keep him contained than another Sea Emperor that would grow far larger than it was at the moment. 

At least the injury was cleaned before he was once again placed back into the chamber…

**(For those that the pictures keep flashing white, here's a link to the pic:<https://puppetmaster13u.tumblr.com/image/612626924521635840> )**

**(If you have any issues/ideas/questions/art:<https://discord.gg/jYFNDuS> )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> =')

He didn't move from his spot amidst the kelp. Moving too much would waste energy, and there was no food, or even any _potential_ food. At this point he wouldn't care if it was _raw_ . He simply lay curled on the simulated ocean floor in a puddle of hunger and loneliness. Did they understand he would need to eat? Was it some sort of experiment? It was a rather cruel one if it was. Ryley didn't even move when a warper came right up to him, perhaps from its own curiosity, perhaps on orders from its masters. It nudged him with a tentacle, mandibles letting out clicks. _'No, go away. I'm not moving…'_ His stomach clenched painfully. He hadn't eaten in over twenty-four hours, which, even without the extra energy loss from constantly swimming, was horrid. Add on the energy loss however, and Ryley couldn't even be bothered to move. They were lucky he was too stubborn to have stopped in an area where there wouldn't be water flow and allowed himself to drown. 

Oh, he was getting warped again now. How fun. The brunette stayed limp, unable to conjure up the will to look around. At least until his nose caught the smell of something absolutely _delicious._ His eyes snapped open, and he could see where he had been dropped off. It was the recreation of the Safe Shallows, as he had called it, and _live fish were being dumped into the water_ . His exhaustion seemed to evaporate at the sight (and smell!) of the prey fish. It was times like this, when he was starving and underwater, that he truly appreciated his altered self. The animalistic legs were _designed_ to vault him from the floor, the tail designed to let him tear through the water like a torpedo. And the claws on both his feet and hands designed to tear through scaled flesh.

His first meal all day was a hoverfish, and for once, the yellow-white flesh tasted like heaven. The rest of the fish scattered, but he could easily track their scent through the artificial waves. Ryley dove down after another- a peeper this time- with renewed gusto. He fed on several of the fish until he felt almost gorged, and soundlessly laughed. He almost forgot about being watched until he heard the garbled mechanical whirr of the precursors through the glass. _'Oh shit…'_ Sure enough, upon looking towards the glass-like wall, one was standing there, seemingly typing something. Quickly he plunged deeper, out of obvious sight, his face burning in mortification. He should have better self-control than that! _Should have,_ being the key words. Such a major transformation was due to have side effects after all, and who knew what might be changed mentally?

Thankfully he wasn't taken out of the containment chamber that day. Apparently the architects were content with whatever information they had gathered that day and didn't need any samples. Perhaps it was time to actually explore the chamber? Ryley hadn't really gotten a chance to yet, with trying not to starve or have a meltdown. Slipping through the blood grass, he was far less stressed now that he could see fauna also swimming through the waves, without other predators. Sorta. He swore they had raided his aquarium, as there were a couple stalkers and crabsnakes that were perfectly content to let him come over and pet them, and lacked the scars wild ones gained over their lifetimes. He hoped so, as that meant his cuddlefish might be in here somewhere…

<_><_><_><_><_>

Ryley had found that the chamber had almost all of the biomes outside, including a cave system and an island with a lake of freshwater constantly being filtered inside. And he had found his two cuddlefish! Orca and Star were just as happy to see him- though they seemed to be confused by his new extremities at first. He had been quite content to doze off in a cave with his pets for the rest of the day, able to pretend he wasn't stuck inside a (surprisingly large) cage for the foreseeable future. His tail, which was twice as long as his body, easily curled around the smaller creatures, forming a sort of pseudo nest. It was peaceful and relaxing.

At least until he was once again warped onto the cold metal. Though this time he was fully out of the water. The brunette let out a breathless wheeze as his body adjusted to breathing air, water being expelled from the gills on his neck and sides. _'What do you want now?!'_ He wasn't grabbed by the gravity component, and actually managed to get on his hands and feet before being grabbed around his middle by a metallic limb. The metallic shrieking that he couldn't understand once again caused him to cover his ears and curl up, which was apparently what the precursor wanted. Ryley silently cursed at his hearing, his ears ringing and his head pounding like someone was taking a sledgehammer to it. 

His tail was easily eased away from its place wrapped around the front of his torso in his vulnerable state, and he let out a silent whine. Something about the curled up position comforted him in a primal level, and being forced to move from said position screamed _wrong_ at him. A sharp sting near the base, and he was allowed to bring it back though. Everything seemed alright for a few scant moments. Then the fact that there was something in the base of his tail registered. _'What did you do?! What did you put in me?!'_ Ryley grabbed at his tail, trying to peer at the bit of crescent-shaped metal slightly raised above his scales. A mistake. He'd been making those a lot lately, hadn't he? The almost gun-shaped instrument was pressed against his collarbone, injecting a second bit of metal and electronics into his muscles. Ryley instantly tried clawing at it, panicking. Even more so when he saw a dot appear on a barely visible screen, showing it was some sort of tracker. _'No! Nonono!'_ Tears began to well up in his eyes. How was he going to escape now?

The precursor's mechanical limbs seemed to scan him, and another stopped his arms from moving. Probably to stop the man from tearing the trackers out. Of course, Ryley didn't notice that in the moment, caught in the midst of panic and lost to animalistic desires of _escape_. He clawed, bit, and lashed out, silently screaming at the alien beings. His struggles only grew weaker as the minutes passed though, until the only movement was from his gasping breaths and the end of his tail flicking back and forth. It was at this point that the architect themself approached. Even in his exhausted state, Ryley couldn't help but wonder why they would be in the form of a centaur on an oceanic planet. They were slow in the water, and from what he could tell, had a hard time keeping balance in the ocean's wave.

He was placed back into the containment without much of a fuss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm, angst, I guess? I still need to practice writing angst... Oh Well! Also, just a heads up! Since the whole Corona Virus is going on, updates to ALL my works might be a bit funky, okay? Okay! I hope you all stay healthy and uninfected! Have a lovely day/night/morning/evening/afternoon! :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple surprise~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.gg/KBneMPZ   
> ^_^ Join my new discord to put forth ideas, or simply discuss anything Subnautica! ^_^

If the markings he had made on the cage walls were to be believed, Ryley had been in this chamber for six months, one week, and three days. He had been stuck on this planet for one year, eight months, one week, and two days. He wished he could say time flies, but if anything, it was the opposite. The Precursors had stopped moving him from the containment, and hadn't even been at the observation points for a few months now. Ryley wondered if they had returned to the place they had hid in before, wherever that might be. 

He had his pets, and the warpers made sure nothing dangerous or annoying, such as crashfish, entered the chamber. Though, they also made sure he didn't attempt escape, far more gentler than slicing him apart. The biomechanical beings did learn the difference between his escape attempts and simply being attracted by the scent of blood though, so that was good, he guessed. Always look on the bright side. It had gotten him this far at least (along with sheer dumb luck). The brunette did miss the outside. Artificial sunlight and pumped air only got one so far after all. The lone reefback and flock of skyrays were a nice touch. He swore if he didn't have to swim everywhere and hunt for his food, he'd have long since gotten fat simply sitting and watching them. Nope. Somehow he was the fittest he'd ever been, due to a mixture of swimming, climbing, running, and eating a mixture of foods. Perhaps that was the point of the single source of freshwater and non-meat sustenance being in the middle of the island.

Orca and Star went everywhere with him, save for that island. And that wasn't due to a lack of trying. He'd had to rush them back into the shallows when they had begun to run out of oxygen many, many times. Then they realized that the bottom was the glass ceiling for a large underwater cavern and that they could see him when he went to gather food and/or water. Ryley wished something could talk though. As much as he tried to teach some creatures sign language in his boredom, it wasn't the same. Plus, most (Orca and Star) thought it was just a game. He wished something new would happen...

Perhaps he had become a bit of an adrenaline junkie during his time in the open ocean? It wouldn't surprise him if he had. Despite not looking for it, trouble always seemed to find him. It had been the same on the Aurora. Luck like the devil in getting him out of dangerous situations, but also getting him into them just as much. He had been a pro at cards as well. Quickly gathering up a few fruits and potatoes in the bag he had made from kelp, Ryley headed back down to the sea water. He mused at his situation as he went along. Surely he would find a way out eventually, right? There had to be an entrance besides the single door. Which, he had already tried multiple times. It only opened from the outside. Apparently the precursors knew he could use ion cubes to activate things. Which made him wonder if they had been watching all that time? It was a little depressing to think of all the times he felt accomplished in surviving something, only for them to be watching, not caring for his struggles. At least, until he was transformed partially into a fish and began producing enzyme 42.

Only then did they interfere, _after_ the danger had been stopped. 

Shaking the admittedly nasty thoughts from his mind, Ryley slipped back into the water. Orca and Star were waiting for him, and gave twin croons of happiness as he swam to them. _'Hello to you as well. Yep, I'm back. That didn't take long, did it?'_ The brunette had gotten far better at shifting from breathing air to breathing water, though it always felt weird expelling it through his gills. At least the cuddlefish liked the bubbles it made. _'Here you go…'_ At first, it had been a habit that had made him eat with his pets, but now in this near-silent cage, it brought a sense of relief. Almost like it reaffirmed that he wasn't completely alone. 

The containment zone was several hundred meters deep, and who knows how many meters below the surface. From what he could tell by the glass, the walls were at _least_ eight feet thick. Which was ridiculous for something of his size, so that was a no go. There was always at least one warper at each vent, and it would take too long to try and pry the grates off without proper tools. Ryley may have been an engineer, but he wasn't a miracle worker. As far as he could tell, he was going to be here for a while.

<_><_><_><_><_>

Avery Quinn was cursing whatever deities might have been out there or listening. They, him and his crew of five others, had simply been passing by the planet when they had picked up the blasted distress call. The Aurora had been confirmed to be missing five months beforehand (and that was only after Alterra actually let that out, after the mongolians kept getting on their asses as apparently there were a few of their people as passengers onboard) , and so of course, the crew had voted to check it out. When they tried scanning for survivors, something interfered. Becky had put forth the idea that it was from the massive debris field. Either way, they had decided to enter the planet's atmosphere. A _really big mistake._

The closest thing that came to mind when describing it would be a really, really big gun that shot lasers. Most of the entire ship was obliterated near instantaneously, with the tip of the bow, where most of the crew were, surviving. Most of the crew. "Fuck! Someone try to get something that'll float! We're not going to live long in a giant ocean without something to rest on!" Avery barked as the remains of the ship crashed into said ocean with a large splash and waves of water entering the cockpit. He quickly grabbed an unconscious Sam. Poor woman had hit her head pretty badly, but there weren't any other obvious injuries, so they had gotten out pretty lucky. 

In fact, most of the crew had gotten out with pretty optimal injuries. The worst was a broken leg, but hopefully they could get that fixed. Maxwell had managed to grab an inflatable raft, and the two most injured crew members were placed inside with the lone surviving crate of supplies. "Captain! What is that?!" Avery looked back to see some sort of purple tentacled creature appear in the wreckage with a metallic whine. "Who knows! Let's get to the dry land first, and play scientist later!" Two down, and four alive. Becky had been vaporized, and Maxwell's brother had been crushed. Was it optimal? No. Was it better than all of them dying? Definitely. 

Maxwell and Avery kicked out, steering the raft to the island where they had been shot down from. Thankfully, they weren't too far, only a couple hundred meters. Avery was just thankful there was land in sight. Humans weren't exactly designed to live in saltwater. "You doing alright there, Max?" Jeff asked from his spot in the raft. "I'm fine! How's the leg?" "Could be better, could be worse." Avery snorted. That was an understatement. "Don't jinx us now!" 

The island was a decent size, and held some sort of edible fruit, which they were thankful for. Upon looking at the supplies, Avery almost frowned. The habitat builder was nice, but it only had enough juice to maybe make three things, four at the most. The seaglide and two batteries would be pretty useful though. "C'mon, let's get out of this water and to higher ground. The PDA had mentioned a large amount of leviathan class predators, and it was a godsend they hadn't run into any yet. Who knew what might be willing to beach itself to get a human snack. 

The forest wasn't too dense, and there seemed to be natural pathways, albeit slightly overgrown as though nothing had walked here for a while. It took a while with the limping Jeff, though that was of no fault of his, but they did make it to what appeared to be the large gun. Though now it seemed to be idle, partially folded now that there wasn't a ship in the sky. What really caught their eye was the large flat platform in front of it, where they could build a compartment without having to build a base. It was simple enough to build a multipurpose room, solar panel, and hatch, though power was low as the sun was setting. "Captain, what should we do?" Sam was worried, as were the others. "Well, first we should get some rest. Tomorrow we'll try to scavenge for supplies and maybe try and get a message out." There wasn't much else they could do at that point besides sleep and wait for the next day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunbeam has arrived! Woohoo!  
> So, here is the crew names: Avery Quinn; Sam Winston; Maxwell Lewin; Mathew Lewin; Jeff Ramos; Becky Abidon  
> And yes, Becky is a reference to the same one mentioned by Alterra HQ, but she is/was not the same person, she simply had the same name.


	4. INFO DUMP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WORLD BUILDING INFO DUMP

**(So, this is literally just world building for the story, not an actual story chapter ^-^)**

**Specimen Delta Containment (AKA, Where Ryley Is)**

Location: Underneath/Inside Mountain Island and Quarantine Enforcement Platform

[(Map of the facility)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oi0K5aGehmfxU0Jj4_eHwLvy5Br9MjlUUWJkQTTWdW4/edit?usp=sharing)

The facility was constructed by a pair of Architects who came out of their Sanctuary after the juvenile sea emperor leviathans were released and the kharaa practically wiped out. Upon accessing the Primary Containment Facility, they learned of Ryley’s presence on the planet, and the fact that he began producing the same concentrated enzyme as the juveniles. Still terrified that the disease might return, they began to construct the facility to house Ryley, aka Subject Delta. They deduced that it would be easier to contain the much smaller and physically weaker being, and in doing so, it would allow for the emperors to grow and travel farther away, spreading the cure as they went.

As they had access to rather advanced technology, and were in a rush, the facility is attached to the Quarantine Enforcement platform. They also reactivated the weapon, fearing that other extraterrestrials would cause damage to the planet and the emperors. Both didn’t stay out of their Sanctuary for more than a couple months, going back to being a digital being to wait for the planet to recover and become more hospitable.

_1) Main Entrance and Archway_

This is where the Containment Facility is connected to the Quarantine Enforcement Platform. It’s a rather large square space with an “elevator,” several doorways, and two archways. One of these archways connects to the Primary Containment Facility’s Master Gate, and the other connects to the Kelp Forest outside the Mountain Island. There’s a single Data Terminal on the far side.

_2) Upper Containment Observatory, Enzyme Containment, & Laboratory _

This part of the observation platform mostly shows above the water level, and has a platform entrance into the Containment. There is a side room containing pipes and a large container of concentrated Enzyme 42 that has been filtered from the water. The Laboratory is a square room near the Containment Cell Platform containing a data terminal, sample storage, and a lab table. There are various alien equipment organized neatly into alcoves in the wall. MOst samples appear to be a mixture of human and animalistic in nature. 

_3) Specimen Storage_

The room is separated into two areas, with one consisting of fauna and one of flora. There is a leviathan skeleton hanging from the ceiling and several “cranes”. There are two data terminals: one in front of the “elevator” and 

_4) Lower Containment Observatory, Specimen Containment Cell_

The large windows show the underwater area of the containment cell, though most of the visible area consists of recreations of the creepvine forests and the safe shallows. The containment cell itself consists of a large recreation of the crater ecosystem, save for the lack of several predators. The interior measures to being roughly fifteen thousand meters by fifteen thousand meters in area, and roughly one-thousand and five-hundred meters tall. Of course, it has the illusion of being slightly smaller, due to both the water and varying ground levels. Both the western and eastern walls have several large vents, which are constantly guarded by warpers to prevent attempts of escape. The southern wall, where both the lower and upper windows are set, is the shallowest, where the land slopes up towards the base of the transparent material. These swirling sands hide an intensive cave network which holds several smaller biomes, including both the Jellyshroom caves and a small version of the Lost River. 

The cell contains recreations of almost every ecosystem in the crater, including a small island near the center of the cell. This island has a smaller cave system and a filtration pipe that leads into and out of an artificial lake. This lake is completely freshwater, but has a glass bottom, showing a large cavern. There are several caverns all throughout the cell, which are presumed to have been created to act as dens of sorts, as a large amount of the observation drones reside within these. Not to say there aren’t any drones in the other areas. In fact, there are over forty observation drones, and only roughly thirteen “dens”. 

The northern side of the containment cell actually goes partially out of the side of the crater, with several sonic deterrent devices placed around it to prevent attacks. Warpers tend not to patrol this area as there is the risk of leviathan attacks. 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

**What Else Does the Containment Cell Hold?**

_Artificial Biomes:_ Blood Kelp Zone; Koosh Zone; Dunes; Grand Reef; Grassy Plateaus; Kelp Forest; Mushroom Forest; Safe Shallows; Sparse Reef; Underwater Island; Deep Sparse Reef; Jellyshroom Caves; Bone Fields Caves; Kelp Forest Caves; Grassy Plateaus Caves; Vents

 _Flora:_ Acid Mushroom; Bloodroot; Bloodvine; Blue Palm; Bulb Bush; Bulbo Tree; Cave Bush; Chinese Potato Plant; Cove Tree; Creepvine; Eye Stalk; Fern Palm; Furled Papyrus; Gabe’s Feather; Gel Sack; Ghost Weed; Grub Basket; Jaffa Cup; Jellyshroom; Lantern Tree; Marblemelon Plant; Membrain Tree; Ming Plant; Pink Cap; Purple Pinecone; Pygmy Fan; Redwort; Regress Shell; Rouge Cradle; Sea Crown; Speckled Rattler; Spiked Horn Grass; Spotted Dockleaf; Veined Nettle; Violet Beau; Voxel Shrub; Writhing Weed; Anchor Pods; Blood Grass; Crab Claw Kelp; Grue Cluster; Spotted Reeds; Tree Leech

 _Fauna:_ Crabsnake; Stalker; Warper; Bladderfish; Boomerang; Crimson Ray; Cuddlefish; Eyeye; Garryfish; Ghostray; Holefish; Hoopfish; Hoverfish; Jellyray; Magmarang; Oculus; Peeper; Rabbit Ray; Red Eyeye; Reinald; Skyray; Spadefish; Spinefish; Cave Crawler; Floater; Rockgrub; Shuttlebug

**What Are Ryley's Pets?**

(Pair) Cuddlefish: Orca; Star

(2packs) Stalker: Fang; Tiger; Piper; Adidas; Honeybee; Mack; Hansel; Calypso

(1) Reefback: Coraline 

(1 School) Crabsnake: Viper; Cobra; Rattle; Anemone; Shroom; Smooshes; Strawberry; Snavi

**Who Is The Sunbeam Crew?**

  * Avery Quinn: A tall stronk boi
  * Sam Winston: She has the basic knowledge of medical care
  * Maxwell Lewin: A science-minded man who values logic
  * Mathew Lewin: He used to be an avid prankster and hated seeing people cry
  * Jeff Ramos: He tries his best, okay?!
  * Becky Abidon: Yes, this is a reference to the "Becky" that Alterra HQ is talking about



**Where Are The Sea Emperor Juveniles?**

Two of them are in the Crater, but three of the have moved on to the north. ;)

**Any Other Questions? Don't Be Afraid To Ask Them! (Sorry this isn't an actual story chapter)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter, Sorry!

Ryley had curled up when he heard the loud boom of something being blown up. There wasn't much else it could be besides a ship. It was the only thing the Quarantine Enforcement Weapon targeted, after all. Those poor people… Had they simply been passing through? Were they looking to colonize? Or had they simply been investigating the Aurora crash? He sniffled. More lives lost to the damned planet and precursors' creations. Orca and Star clicked worriedly at him, and when he didn't move, tried to comfort him the best they could from under the ledge. He wished he could speak, scream, cry, yell, anything to express himself. The most that came out of his ruined vocal cards were pathetic wheezes though.

_ 'Why? Why am I the only one allowed to survive? Why does everyone around me have to die?' _ Star's clicking grew louder as he slipped from the overhang into the partially submerged tunnel. At least when he was in water no one could tell if he was crying.

Ryley drifted, no particular destination in mind. He didn't know how long he just floated along in the artificial currents. He didn't even know how he had swam so deep. He'd just gone on autopilot and ended up in the trenches where his stalkers lived. The two packs approached, crooning and nuzzling him. Maybe they could feel his grief as well.  _ 'It's okay. I'm alright, or I will be soon…' _ Honeybee tried to give him a piece of scrap metal, apparently deciding it would cheer him up. It did, at least a little bit. He even managed to crack a half-smile. 

Drifting onto the sandy bottom, Ryley sighed. His tail and legs were splayed haphazardly behind him, as the simulated sunlight was nice to an extent. He’d counted one day, finding that the simulated days were actually about two hours longer than the normal days on the planet. Which, seeing as he didn’t need to sleep as much anymore was okay he guessed. But what if it threw him off if, _when_ he got out? _‘Happy thoughts Ryley Robinson!_ _Happy thoughts!_ _’_ the brunette berated himself. He _would_ get out. Laying his head down, he closed his eyes, letting the noise of the surrounding fauna lull him to sleep. 

_ He was swimming. Or was it floating? He could feel the waves swirling around him, but not the corresponding wetness. It was like there was a bubble around him, keeping the water from touching him. It was peaceful, like he was a leaf fluttering in the wind. Unknowing and uncaring of its destination. He smiled. The waves spilled around him in a myriad of colors and stars. The entire universe seemingly swirling through his being.  _

_ He laughed at the feeling, but paused. Why did laughing seem so odd to him? Surely it wasn’t that weird… Now that he thought about it, why was he in water? Where was everyone else? Where was he? Why was he alone?  _

**_*************************************************_ **

**_PICTURE TIME_ **

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	6. Chapter 6

Despite the circumstances that had caused them to come to this island, Avery Quinn couldn’t help but be in awe of its fauna and flora. The spider things were annoying, yeah, but they were edible, along with a few of the plant species. The oddest fish swirled into the shallows everyday, most carrying golden dust. Flying mantaray looking birds kept approaching their camp curiously as well. Jeff kept feeding them, so they continuously came back. Avery supposed that ancient saying of never feeding a stray dog was true in a sense. Then again maybe they needed something to distract them from their losses. 

There may not have been corpses, but that didn’t stop them from creating memorials on the beach. 

They didn’t really talk about it. What was there to say? Sorry that they had gotten shot down? Didn’t think so. Avery sighed. They were going to pick straws to see who had what job for the day. The plants needed to be weeded, watered, and harvested. The surrounding ecosystem needed to be explored, and more supplies gathered. Luckily, or unluckily, it really depended on what happened, Quinn was one of the ones able to explore, along with Sam and Jeff. They were able to make a seaglide for emergencies… just in case they ran into one of those purple warping-things.

They hadn’t come out of the water, nor had they made any aggressive movement, but they were still creepy as hell. Avery really didn’t want to run into anything that could kill them, hence why they were going to be avoiding the Aurora wreckage where the PDA picked up dozens of leviathan class creatures.* So yeah, they were going to head out to shallower waters. After all, the PDA claimed that the planet supported “intense biodiversity,’ and plants would get much more sunlight in the shallows. And the creatures would be safer from large predators. Which meant  _ they _ would be safer from predators. 

So they said their temporary goodbyes to Maxwell, who was actually quite happy to, as he said, “Not have to get his feet wet on this goddamn planet.” “Don’t get too fat while we’re out!” Jeff hollered, grinning as they dived into the blue waters. Avery didn’t hear Max’s response, but judging by the grin on Sam’s face, it was quite amusing. He snorted. They had been so freaking lucky to have been so close to the island. Even luckier with the fact that it was only a few hundred meters away from a much safer underwater environment.

There were dozens of kelp like plants and a few barracuda-like things. Luckily, they seemed to ignore them for the most part. There were a bunch of outcrops full of ore such as silver, gold, and titanium, which was a relief. Though it also led to the discussion if they should save some to sell when they got off. Which, as Sam pointed out, was unlikely. They may not have gotten too far into the giant weapon, but it was obviously not letting anything in or out of the planet. 

The group of three had split up, each heading out to gather different supplies. Sam went off to gather more ore, and Jeff had gone off and started scanning any flora and fauna he saw, leaving Avery to explore by himself. He didn’t have any destination in mind, simply choosing a direction on his compass and swimming. It was rather peaceful, as the sunlight glimmered off of the shoals of fish that swam past curiously and the waves slowly swirling the sand into tiny tornadoes. Definitely different than what he was used to. Even back on Earth. 

He slipped back up to the surface for a few moments, and startled, nearly going back under the waves. There in the distance, partially obscured by fog, was a rather large ship. A large ship that could be none other than the Aurora. Even at a distance, and with it fallen apart, the ship was  _ massive. _ Had there been any survivors? They hadn’t seen any signs of anyone making it, but  _ surely _ there had been someone,  _ right? _ There had been over two-hundred people on the Aurora- someone had to have made it out! But wouldn’t they have found  _ some _ sort of sign if someone had?

Avery dove back under the waves, a frown on his face. 

>-<->-<->->-<->-<

Ryley groggily pulled pieces of creepvine from his hair. The large cage was dark (save for natural bioluminescence), showing that it was night outside. He didn’t really want to wake up, or even be up, but something just felt… wrong. Like when someone had his finger just a centimeter from your neck, and you can’t see it, but you know it’s there all the same. He steeled his nerves, slipping from his natural bedding. He’d memorized every cavern and every tunnel during his time in the damn cage, so it didn’t take him long to swim out into a more open area. Star and Orca trailed after him, chirping curiously. 

The brunette didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary right away, but he still opted to take a cautious swim around. Just because there wasn’t something obvious, didn’t mean there wasn’t something there. He shivered as he moved around, opting to crawl along the faux seafloor instead of swimming. The warpers seemed to sense his distress, a few following at a distance. Ryley clawed out a handful of sand. There was nothing different in the cell- nothing to cause his senses to go taut and panicked! 

He let out a silent frustrated snarl. What was making him act like this?! He’d already one through every inch of the cell twice! The brunette's tail lashed back and forth in his agitation, causing small tornadoes of sand to form. Orca and Star seemed delighted by this action, and began to swim around it happily. Ryley paused in his frustrated rambling, and started shaking as he watched them. Silent laughter bubbled (quite literally) from him, tension bleeding away the longer he watched his companions. 

Perhaps he was overreacting? The warpers wouldn’t allow anything dangerous in, after all! The fish-man sighed, settling down on the sandy floor lazily. His half-lidded eyes wandered over the night time denizens of his cell. If he was ever rescued, would the pda still count him as a human? Or would it simply count him as part of the world’s fauna? His body only had the general appearance of a human now, with a mixture of flesh and scales. Everything about his body was designed for survival on this planet, and Ryley wasn’t even sure that he could survive in a spacecraft. 

A single warper approached, perhaps confused at his sudden change in emotions. He eyed it cautiously. Even if they wouldn’t hurt him, their screeching still caused his ears to pound. Thankfully it stayed pretty quiet and kept a few feet away. Though Ryley was unsure if that was out of respect or wariness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I have a headcanon where the Aurora crashed on an island/sand dunes kind of area where the reapers lived and laid their eggs. So once the Aurora crashed, it crushed the island and several reapers yeah, but it also made hundreds of “caves/dens” that would be safe for the leviathans’ eggs. Plus the reapers near the island would have left because of the Sonic Deterrents.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pllaaaannnnttttssss

Avery Quinn couldn’t help but marvel at the alien weapon. It had only been luck that they had found a back entrance through a moonpool of sorts. The metaphorical heart attacks had been worth it though. Every single wall was carved with hundreds of rune-like designs, stretching from the floor to the ceiling creating a haunting yet beautiful ambiance. The four of them had managed to find several green cube things on pedestals, and even went up some sort of zero gravity elevator, but they couldn’t find whatever it was that opened a lower door. The first forcefield was easy, they just had to insert one of the cubes, but the second seemed to require a keycard of some sort. Which they didn’t have. 

So no going down for now, but that was alright. There was so much to see and analyze! This was the first proof of intelligent alien life after all, something humanity had practically given up on finding. Avery drank in every detail he could see and scanned everything he could reach.  _ “Scans indicate this structure is composed of a metal alloy with unprecedented integrity. No matches found in database. Perform a structural analysis?” _ Avery nearly jabbed at the yes option. It began to scan. “Yo, captain, come look at this!” Jeff waved him over from where he was standing with Sam, looking at some sort of device. 

“What do you suppose this is for?” Maxwell asked quietly, approaching it with a curious expression. Avery felt a pang. Mathew should have been here with them as well. “Why don’t we find out?” Jeff grinned, moving his hand up to the device that had popped up as he approached. “Wait, Jeff no-” Avery nearly had a heart attack as some sort of stasis field popped up around the younger man’s hand, keeping it in place as it was apparently scanned. Loud metallic whirrs echoed through the room as said appendage was released. “Uh, anyone speak alien tech?” 

Apparently the PDA did speak alien tech.  _ “The control panel is broadcasting a message. Play message?” _ Of course they chose yes.  _ “Warning: Unauthorized individuals may not disable the enforcement system. This planet is under Conservation and Restoration.” _ “Under conservation? Like, what, a nature preserve?” Sam voiced their confusion. Avery was more confused by the  _ restoration _ part. What on the planet needed restoring? 

>-<->-<->->-<->-<

Ryley snorted in laughter as Star and Orca swam literal circles around his stalker pack. The pack twisted around in confusion, looking like pale kelp caught in a current. He ignored the other fish swimming around, not exactly hungry, and more interested in watching his pets. The fish-man hybrid was curled up on top of a jellyshroom, cuddling with a couple of newborn crabsnakes. He always did this when eggs hatched. After all, it wouldn’t be a good thing should he approach a stalker or crabsnake and it turn out to be aggressive. It was much better for them to be used to his presence from as young as possible. Not to say he didn’t miss one or two. The warpers took care of those, though. 

Stretching out, his tail waved through the currents as he got up. A simple tapping motion got his companion’s attention and a swipe of his tail caused Star and Orca to follow Ryley as he leapt from the sand. The newest crabsnakes gave little shrieks as he left, though it was probably just from losing their pillow. He’d come back later though. For now, Ryley was going to the underwater islands. Neither the crabsnakes or the stalkers liked the deep water, but seeing as it led into artificial geysers, that was understandable. 

Twisting through the faux currents, it didn’t take Ryley long to reach the sudden drop in the “sea floor”. He’d been stuck within this same place for over a year after all, and knew every meter of it. Patting his cuddlefish on the head and motioning for them to stay- their bodies were too small and not adapted to handle the hotter waters- the fish-man dove deeper. 

Between the geysers and islands, redwort  _ thrived _ in the lower waters, along with other plants such as gelsacks and membrain trees. Though that may be from the blood kelp and grand reef zones tucked into the corners. 

Clinging to an overhang, Ryley peered over into the orange glow. Besides the odd bit of pygmy fan and ghost weed, the entirety of the floor was covered in redwort, making it hard to tell where the plants ended and the red-hot geysers began. Everywhere was lit by a warm orange glow, softer by the edges of the redwort, and brighter where they trailed into the geysers. A warper clicked behind him as he laid there for a moment more. What, did it think he was going to try and burn himself in the boiling water? Tempting, but no. 

Climbing down, Ryley inwardly thanked the emperor that he didn’t require a diving suit in the hot waters. He stalked through the swaying plants, ignoring the red eyeyes and magmarangs that darted away as their hiding places were disturbed. He didn’t technically  _ need _ anything down here, but he wanted to grab some redwort for his bed. The brunette wasn’t sure why, but the red plants almost seemed to hold the heat it gained from the geysers, which was rather nice to sleep in. 

Popping the bones in his fingers, Ryley began the meticulous job of gathering the plants. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What, a double update on the same day?! Yep, you aren't hallucinating!

Avery couldn’t believe they had missed this.  _ Probably nothing too important below _ \- there was an entire other facility! A really big fucking facility with at  _ least _ three floors. The topmost floor being not much more than a box with more elevator-type things and some sort of archways. Well, it did have a data terminal of sorts as well, which Maxwell was reading curiously. The floor they were on now was just a hallway so far, but that could change. 

Lo and behold, the hallway opened up to a large dark room. Any lighting came from bioluminescent plants and a single data terminal, casting an eerie glow upon them as they entered. “Huh, looks like some sort of water greenhou-” Sam cut herself off with a startled shriek as a fanged maw slammed into the glass. “Shit! What the fuck- what the fuck is that?!” The beast screeched and slammed against the cage several times more before it gave up with a hungry glare. “I don’t know,  _ you’re _ the one with the scanner,” Jeff laughed awkwardly, staring at the scratched on the clear surface. Sma shrugged. “Not anymore,” and handed it to him.

“This would be  _ way _ less terrifying if there was a light-  _ oh my god _ .” As soon as Maxwell had activated the terminal, the entire room lit up as though a switch had been flicked. The room was filled with tanks of both fish and plants, but that wasn’t what Sam was looking at. No, she was staring at the empty skeletal eye sockets of what was most  _ definitely _ a leviathan class creature suspended from the ceiling. Even though it wasn’t the full skeleton, the group could tell it was  _ massive _ . “Anyone else wanna’ just… never go back in the water, like,  _ ever _ ?” Avery’s voice did  _ not  _ crack, he  _ swears _ . No one responded. 

More sounds came from the tanks, water spilling over edges as creatures began to wake and move around in the new light. Jeff’s eyes practically sparkled at the smaller tanks, where dozens of small fish, some they had eaten before, swam in panicked circles. Avery could tell he was thinking that it was free food, which to be fair, yeah, it practically was. “Hey, I’m gonna’ scan everything and then send it to your guys’ pda, a’right?” And just like that he was distracted. Everyone was actually. Maxwell was reading the databanks, Sam was looking over the plants, and Jeff was scanning the fish. Avery sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. ‘Might as well look around too.’ So he did.

One of the tanks had some sort of ray-birds in it, which shrieked like a seagull. Odd, but not too crazy compared to the creatures next to them. Some sort of pink and red snake things seemed rather distressed to see them, but the cackling creatures with gas mask heads really took the cake. Yellow gas would fill the water the moment he got close. No thanks. The last large tank had ray creatures as well, but unlike the birds, these were much larger and in water. Their calls seemed to echo sadly through the room as they glided around in tiny circles. Avery grimaced at the sad sight. 

“Hey Avery, come look at this!” Maxwell motioned over to the tablet in his hands. “Parts of the information are corrupted- mostly images really- but you have to read this.” Avery actually had to blink back his shock at the neatly sectioned off data logs of sorts. He was a little disappointed they weren’t numbered though . 

_ ‘Subject … seems to be an opportunistic omnivore, prefering to hunt, but will eat several plants if unable to catch anything, or is in an exhausted state. ...seems to have formed an emotional connection with two specimens, designated .... The subject has tried to escape through ventilation multiple times, being stopped by ...ntine Enforcer Units. All except for three units are being rerouted and reprogrammed to guard the Delta Containment Facility from aggressive lifeforms and to warp Su... back into containment should it manage to escape via ...’  _

_ ‘The specimen was brought out of the cell, and two tracking devices inserted … and… left shoulder. Specimen entered an extremely distressed state during this procedure, trying to get back into visible water.’  _ Avery blinked.  _ ‘Huh. Are one of the creatures in here the specimen?’ _ He read the next one, which had the corner of some sort of surveillance picture depicting the end of a tail at the top. The dark haired captain assumed this was one of the corrupted pictures Maxwell had mentioned. ‘... _ specimen designated  _ Subject Delta _ has been placed within the constructed containment chamber at roughly 0300 today. At first the specimen appeared aggressive when cornered, but chose to attempt to flee instead of attacking. When placed inside containment, it went into hiding and seemed to observe …’  _

_ ‘Before its capture, Subject Delta was observed traveling great distances and was able to resist capture for several hours. Though it had no injury, around sixty percent of its skin consisted of scar tissue. Communication has been deemed impossible, as the specimen has heavy scarring on its throat and vocal cords. It’s unknown if the subject would be able to vocalize understandable sounds even without this disability.’ _ He handed the Pda back to Maxwell. “The pda can’t date it exactly, but these entries are from the last decade, meaning whatever caused the beings here to leave was recent, and everything in here seems self sufficient. Whatever this “Subject Delta” is, it’s probably still alive, and seeing as none of these things have ‘extensive scarring’-” He was suddenly interrupted. “-it’s obviously not here,” Sam chirped far too amused. “For goodness sake Max’, we’ve found signs that there’s intelligent extraterrestrial life! Do you realize how much we’d get paid for that alone? We also found out what happened to the Aurora! Imagine how much if we got off here with this information! We’d never have to worry about bills ever again!” 

Jeff snorted. “Yeah, but that requires us  _ getting off the planet _ Sam.” Avery rolled his eyes as the two began to bicker. Hopefully they didn’t come to blows. He looked back at his own pda curiously, organizing the tabs. “Fauna, Flora, Carnivores, Herbivores,” Maxwell was apparently doing the same if his muttering was to go by. “Alright you two, break it up, don’t need you killing our ears now.” Jeff and Sam muttered a few last good-natured jibes at each other before following him out of the room. “C’mon Max- don’t want to be left behind now!” “OI, HEY, WAIT UP!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what is coming up? Guess who is going to meet? Who's ready for the p a n i c....? ^̮^


	9. Chapter 9

**(^^Updated Ryley Design- Please Let me Know if the Image Doesn't Load^^)**

Ryley lay on his plant bed contentedly. He’d found this hidden cave a while ago, with a single lone Jellyshroom in the center. Over time the floor had been filled with dozens of different plants, creating a carpet of bioluminescence which was relaxing to lay on. Star and Orca were already curled up next to him snoring softly, bubbles rising in small bursts. It had been a rather chill sort of day, just one of the days where Ryley ignored the fact he was stuck in a giant aquarium and simply relaxed. 

There was a gentle current tousling his hair, which really needed a haircut. Thankfully, he somehow hadn’t gotten a hint of stubble. How, he didn’t know, nor did he particularly care. Still, his hair would get too annoying soon, as it already risked impairing his vision. For now though, he just wanted to relax and chill in his bed of plants in his bubble of calm. Maybe he’d move to the warm beach on the island later when the lights began to warm the sand. Yeah, that seemed like a nice idea. 

Rolling over onto his back, Ryley let out a sigh, lazilly watching the bubbles rise. His tail twitched as he relaxed, listening to the cave's ambience. The top of the cave had several air pockets with stalactites hanging downwards, condensation slowly dripping down and forming ripples on the surface of the calm waters. Everything just felt so… relaxed. At least, until there was a loud bang and the sound of several warpers shrieking. 

_ ‘God dammit…’ _ The fish-man sighed as Orca and Star were also startled awake. They let out their own outraged chirps. Letting out another sigh, he slowly rose from his position. Casting a mournful look back at his plant-bed, Ryley cautiously tread his way through the maze-like tunnels. The last time the warpers had shrieked like that, several crashfish had made their homes in the ventilation, and had  _ bred. _ That mess had been a nightmare, but at least now he knew what crashfish tasted like. (Like fish, but with a sort of spicy-smoky aftertaste)

Inwardly mumbling, he continued on. Left, left, right, straight, left… He would be coming out through a (presumed) south facing cave soon- one of two that faced the large observation wall. Orca darted out first twirling in the water playfully around the startled stalker. Judging from the nick in its fins, it was Piper. Smiling, Ryley went to follow his wayward companion. That idea quickly went out the window when he happened to glance through the glass. Claws suddenly gripped the rocks much harder as he surged back into the comforting darkness, eyes wide in shock. 

It shouldn’t be possible- it couldn’t be possible! It had to be a dream- it couldn’t- this couldn’t-  _ there was no way that a group of humans had survived and found their way to his cage. _

**> -<->-<->->-<->-<**

Avery went through his pda almost lazilly. Maxwell and Jeff were trying to get the last door they had found open. It was taking a while apparently. Not that he was complaining, seeing how he had plenty of other things to look through. ‘ _...specimen has been taken out of containment to gather samples at 0630. Specimen… male and in fair physical health save for scarring… khaara bacteria… Blood samples were shown to hold large amounts of enzyme… cells to become semi-bioluminescent. The enzyme seems to be concentrated in the bioluminescent stripes and spots on the specimen. Tissue samples show signs of trauma, and rapidly fading compounds.’ _ His interest in whatever creature was held here grew. 

With a rather excited shout, Max and Jeff finally got the door to open. Apparently it was “password protected” so they had to use the pda to do…  _ something _ . Avery didn’t really understand their overlapping rambles. “Come on captain,” Sam waved as she followed the duo through. The blackette sighed as he got up to follow them. He hoped whatever was within this new area wasn’t dangerous,  _ like the leviathans. _ He shivered at the thought. 

They’d actually seen one a few days before, emerging from the darkness like an angel of death. Its entire body had lit up in the ambient light, large and serpentine. It had let out a horrid scream that echoed through the water as it moved by, the sheer force of it moving causing the plants to cower. Even the armoured sharks hid as it moved by, an untamed force of nature packed into one eel-like body. 

Shuddering at the memory, Avery sped up. He caught up to his crew in no time, as they had all stopped in front of a large wall of windows. The wall stretched for well over a few thousand feet, and each piece of glass- if that was what it even was- was over ten meters tall. With just a glance, they could see a mixture of sandy and rocky seabed covered with vegetation, with an uncountable number of fish. Jeff was practically laying against the glass, cheeks and nose smushed against the maybe-glass. 

Max wasn’t much better, looking as though Christmas had come early as he looked through the pda for each creature he caught a glimpse of. Most were familiar enough: peepers, stalkers, bladderfish and the like. But they could see at least one through the water moving towards them. It had similar coloring to an orca, large expressive eyes, and came right up to Jeff. He waved at it, a bemused expression on his face. 

To all of their surprise, it twirled in place, a goofy smile on its head. “Oh my  _ god…  _ that’s adorable!” Jeff’s voice rose a few octaves. It chirped, swimming back into the surrounding foliage. “Alright everybody, come on, the hallway is pretty long,” Avery waved them towards the distance, where there were several steps leading upwards. "Fine…" Maxwell muttered, practically sulking as he dragged himself away from the windows. 

It took them several minutes to get near the stairs- whatever built this place had obviously not made it with a human's tiny legs in mind. By the time they did make it, most of his crew was huffing for breath (and they still had stairs to go up!).  _ ‘Holy mother of god,’ _ Avery inwardly wheezed.  _ ‘When will these hallways end?’ _ Just how big could this place be? Bigger than the structure above the surface for certain, but surely not by much, right? It would have been too visible, surely. 

“How much farther?” Sam whined, sweat dotting her brow. “I dunno’, a few hundred meters at least,” Avery guessed, eyeing the closer, but still distant stairs. All of his crew groaned in tandem. Avery felt them, he really did, but they had made it this far, a couple hundred meters more wasn’t going to kill them. “C’mon you guys, just a little farther to go.” The ravenette got to his feet, leading the way upwards.

It felt like forever before there was something besides stairs. 

Where the stairs turned a corner, becoming a stretch of flatness, was a doorway. “Holy sweet mother of earth,” Maxwell breathed, eyes wide. Avery agreed. It looked like some sort of laboratory, with giant cylinders that stretched from floor to ceiling. Most were empty, with smaller ones holding some sort of flesh and scale samples. The largest was in the back, practically overtaking the wall with what appeared to be a filtration machine. In the center was a sort of table, large enough that they could all probably lay on it comfortably. 

What had been examined there? Was it still alive? The table appeared clean, but the floor underneath had stains in the indents. Blood, or something else entirely? Avery hoped he never had to find out. Thankfully there was a fine layer of dust, so whatever had been here hadn’t been for a while. There was a data terminal by the entrance, out of sight when entering the room. It was also really bright inside. Did whatever build this place have horrible eyesight or something? 

Avery sighed, the sound barely audible over his remaining crew’s awe and excitement. One could practically see the dollar signs in Sam’s eyes, and Max once again made a beeline towards the terminal. Jeff jokingly raced him, but broke off at the least minute, heading through another doorway. Maybe some sort of storage room? He sure didn’t. 

Sighing again, the ravenette took a closer look at the large container-filter-thing. It was massive, with Avery estimating for it to be about five meters wide and a good ten tall, maybe even bigger. A good chunk of it was filled with some sort of glowing- sparkling really- yellow liquid. It kind of looked similar to the blood of the creatures his crew and him had eaten, if a few shades different and maybe a bit thicker. 

“Yo guys- you gotta’ come look at this!” Jeff waved wildly by the doorway, eyes sparkling in excitement but face drained of color. 

All of them followed the lone twin through the doorway, curious about what could cause such a reaction. Avery came in at the rear, seeing as he had been farthest, and he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening.  _ ‘Oh sweet baby sun!’ _ There was a long hallway, which wasn’t surprising. No, what had caused them such shock were the broken remains of a seamoth and a  _ fucking _ prawn suit in alcoves. For fuck’s sake they looked like they could be operational! So whatever lived here hadn’t left quite as long ago as Avery had hoped. Fuck. 

**> -<->-<->->-<->-<**

Ryley covered his mouth to muffle his panicked breathing, before remembering that most of it was going in and out via his gills. There- there were humans- actual fucking alive and breathing humans-  _ right there _ ! He clutched Orca to his chest, trying to ground himself. Would they be friendly- or would they think him a freak? Would they count him as human still? Or would he be just another creature to scan? 

His wheezing gained concerned warbling from his two companions. Star headbutted his shoulder, and when that gained no response, the two wiggled their way underneath his arm. Both cuddlefish squeaked and chirped at him, gently headbutting his head and face akin to how he’d pat their heads to calm them. It worked to an extent, breaking him away from his spiraling thoughts for now. 

_ ‘Ah, I’m sorry for worrying you two…’ _ His patterns flashed in apology to his companions as he held them. They squeaked and chirped at him, smiles once again on their chubby faces.  _ ‘I just don’t know what to  _ do _. I wanted to get out of here for so long, and I have an opportunity to do so now. But… it’s like my limbs are frozen- like my body can no longer comprehend the feeling of freedom instead of this illusion!’ _ Ryley had been here for years. Years with no human contact, with nothing to talk to- sign or otherwise. Orca and Star were the closest things he had to friends now. 

And now, there were  _ others _ here-  _ others _ that had entered his domain. Could he let them see him like this- as this  _ thing _ he had become? A near-silent whine exited his throat as a slew of bubbles. That was the million credit question, wasn’t it? 

Shuddering, the man tore himself away from the cavern, away from the observation wall, and away from the humans investigating. He rocketed through the waters at a near blinding speed, uncaring if he hit a protruding rock or metal. He just had to get away from that dangling piece of hope, of the illusion that he could ever escape this fate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for he cliffhanger of sorts- but the original plan had it right where they (Ryley & the Sunbeam Crew) see each other. I figured that was a little too mean though, so next chapter is going to be all about the first interaction & meeting.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so, sorry I haven't posted/updated things. My laptop's charger was sparking and I had to wait until the new one came in. Sorry for the long wait!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Unlocking The Past](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23923984) by [SlashWriter2015](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlashWriter2015/pseuds/SlashWriter2015)




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